Dr Angelica Merlot
Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales
Research Field: Cancer Research
Angelica Merlot’s research is focused on developing new drugs and strategies to combat the deadliest cancers and prevent their growth, spread and adaptation to current drugs.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with brain and pancreatic cancers two of the deadliest. Brain cancer in particular kills more children than any other disease and has a five-year survival rate of less than 20%. Even worse, pancreatic cancer has a 5-year survival rate of only ~9.8%, with the vast majority of patients succumbing to the disease within the first year of diagnosis. It is therefore of urgent importance to develop better treatment options and strategies for these patients.
Angelica’s research focuses on cancers that are almost always a death sentence, with her work to develop new anti-cancer drugs and to better understanding drug resistance and the tumour microenvironment.
Dr Angelica Merlot was awarded her PhD by the University of Sydney in 2013 and is currently is Scientia Research Fellow at the Children’s Cancer Institute, University of NSW.